The next word I want to dig deeper into is Focus. I like it as a
verb - “pay particular attention to.”

I highly doubt anyone reading this doesn’t understand the word,
and each and every one of us understands it as it relates to our
journey. We know
we need it and at times we have it, but why is it so dang hard to
maintain it?

It’s a simple setting called “auto focus”. Picture this - You’re looking
out the window, way off in the distance you see something that
catches your eye. You go to take a photo, the camera auto focuses
on the thing that’s closest to you: The glass, the window screen or
maybe a tree that’s hanging in front of the object of your
attention. The shot is blurry.

You recognize this instantly, you shift right, step left, get
closer - then adjust the settings, click on the phone screen or
whatever it takes to shift the focus. If you’re fast enough, you
capture the beauty and preserve the memory. If not, instant
disappointment, then you simply try again some other time, maybe
you never get the chance though.

By manually adjusting the focus, what you’re actually doing is
telling the camera what’s most important. If you let it decide, it
almost always chooses what’s closest.

Your brain does the exact same thing!

For many of us, our goal of true lifelong wellness is off in the
distance. Even if you’re at goal you want to stay there for a very
long time. In between us and the goal are many distractions. If we
don’t continually adjust the focus we will develop sharp photos of
the immediate temptations. The glass, the screen and the
tree branch can easily be the pizza, the tailgate party, or the
bottle of wine.

These are all things that have been beautifully photographed
when they were actually the focus. It holds true here too. If
you want it, track it and move on. However, if you’re focused on
something else, and it slips into the picture, it’s best to
re-adjust and aim your focus on the goal.

To achieve a proper photograph, you have to know what you’re
after, recognize the distractions and focus on the subject. Then
and only then can you release the shutter!

Throughout the day I need to remind myself that I do best in
manual focus mode. I get to decide, not anyone else. I want to look
way off into the distance and frame the perfect shot I call
wellness. It
includes a balance of the pillars to wellness: nutrition, fitness
and mindfulness.

Any seasoned wedding photographer will tell you they have a
“shot list”. Look
through any wedding album and you’ll be able to recognize
this. There are
many scenes every album contains. The most obvious on the list is
“The Kiss”. If
it’s not perfectly in focus, the entire album is considered
ruined!

Think of your wellness journey as the big event. Develop your
shot list: The running trail, a restful nights sleep, a low point
meal. All of these
elements are critical to your journey but they must all be in focus
to complete the album.

If you want to be in control, Adjust your lenses, take the
“camera” off auto focus and choose what really matters.

About the Podcast

To lose weight, you need to focus. It doesn't happen by accident. At one point I weighed 263.5lbs and I should have been kicked out of the military. I got my mind right and lost 91pounds. It feels great! If you have similar goals, this is the place to learn WHY I did it and get focused on your WHY. There is more than one way to do this!